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So much for having the "best healthcare system in the world." Who ranks first in having the fewest number of preventable deaths? France. Who ranks last amongst the 19 leading industrialized nations? Us. The United States. We do. Wonderful.

We sank over a trillion dollars in this misguided War on Terror. Yet, here we have 33 ANNUAL 9/11s that we choose not to prevent that would not come close to the economic cost of the wars launched over 3000 deaths.

Access. That's the key. Currently we have a convoluted system with a myriad of insurance providers and payment systems, making the costs of any individual procedure completely opaque. Not only that, doctors keep jumping in and out of networks--my doctor left my network so if I want to continue that relationship which I have built up over the years, I need to switch insurance providers somehow (good luck with getting the same rate) or pay out the ass independently. Access. Single-payer would streamline all of that.

Well, it's not all bad news. We are improving. Since the last study, we've reduced the preventable deaths by 4%. That's kinda nice.

Oops. That's WAY below average compared to the other industrialized nations. Now that looks rather pathetic. Fine, but that's the only other bad news, right?

We spend more for worse results? Fuck.

By the way, where's the private charity in all of this that the local libertarian front likes to say will step in and save lives? THIRTY-THREE ANNUAL 9/11s. Where's the compassion? Where's the charity? Where's your love for your fellow countryman?

We are an embarrassment to the world until we establish healthcare as a human right and have single-payer.

Carrying the torch for tonton in this thread here. I'll miss ya around here, buddy.

.Health care is a right every citizen should have in the U.S. like they do in Canada when I lived there years ago.This Government is rich enough for us to have single-payer system.We waste millions of dollars on nonsense instead of a decent health care system.

Well you (and Hands) are making broad and sweeping statements about "the rich" then. It isn't "the rich" that caused this depression. If anything there were handful of well-connected crony "capitalists" in cahoots with the government and The Fed that caused this depression.

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Originally Posted by BR

Point is, the rich are wealthier than ever before in the last 100 years and yet somehow that extraordinary concentration of wealth at the top has not provided for everyone in need. Taxes are the lowest they have been for a century and yet private charity has not closed that gap.

But the point is incomplete. You need to study a bit more of history when there wasn't this massive government welfare apparatus. Private charitable giving was meeting most if not all needs.

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Originally Posted by BR

What happens when you yank the Medicare rug out from everyone? You REALLY think private charity can close THAT GAP?

Yes. However I will qualify this to say that the "gap" that may need to be filled isn't the same size as the current funding level. In fact it would likely be much, much less.

Now, granted, there would need to be a gradual draw down on many of these programs. While we have the chance, before the country goes bankrupt and has no choice but shock treatment, we can gradually move away from government-run programs to privately operated programs. This won't happen of course, so we will continue along this course until the whole thing goes bankrupt. Then we get to thank folks like you for the disaster and destruction that your socialism and Marxism has wrought on society...again.

Some folk here are getting bent out of shape by the act of questioning a system which rewards corporate parasites and is responsible for the needless deaths of 100,000 people each year, yetin the next breath, they glorify spending $hundreds of billions each year to slaughter innocent people overseas.

Stop trying to defend the indefensible. It doesn't work any more. Anyone can see through this shit.

Some folk here are getting bent out of shape by the act of questioning a system which rewards corporate parasites and is responsible for the needless deaths of 100,000 people each year, yetin the next breath, they glorify spending $hundreds of billions each year to slaughter innocent people overseas.

Huh? Who in this thread is "glorify spending $hundreds of billions each year to slaughter innocent people overseas"? Or are you speaking more generally and broadly of the forum?

Is it really breathtaking? Did you read the study? Do you and BR even try to justify your continual outrage?

Quote:

Some folk here are getting bent out of shape by the act of questioning a system which rewards corporate parasites and is responsible for the needless deaths of 100,000 people each year, yetin the next breath, they glorify spending $hundreds of billions each year to slaughter innocent people overseas.

So it really is an OR question. One can only support one or the other. There are no other possible options. If anyone disagrees with you, they are a warmonger who might as well be putting a pistol to the temple of some innocent kid and pulling the trigger themselves.

That is pure nonsense. It is 100% pure bullshit. It is crap.

The left is the filthy enabler of big government crony capitalism. It is much harder for the rich to exploit the poor when they have to render services and good to receive money. It is much easier when the government rewrites the rules and declares they simply have no choice and thus must hand their money over to the rich.

So see Sammi, that is what you support. The great messiah, Obama and anyone else who lies through their teeth proclaiming and pursuing this fair and just life where everyone is their brother's keeper supports and enables it as well. When someone claims they will alter the nature of reality, of the world, and of human nature, all they do is open an opportunity for exploitation and theft.

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Stop trying to defend the indefensible. It doesn't work any more. Anyone can see through this shit.

You name for me someone who actually has supported the causes you claim, has made a difference and has altered the outcomes of people's live. Show me how if they weren't a martyr, that they didn't later become just as corrupt themselves or use the same old tired tropes to keep bringing in ever more money to do nothing but enrich themselves and exploit others. Name some names and point that finger in the mirror.

Lawmakers in Congress enjoy taxpayer/government sponsored health care (in the FEHB, the government pays for 66%), on both sides of the aisle. How often do we hear these government sponsored health care beneficiaries complaining? Not much... just 16 out of all the GOP congressional lawmakers opted out in early 2011.. was this for PR purposes, and because they could afford to?

Lawmakers in Congress enjoy taxpayer/government sponsored health care (in the FEHB, the government pays for 66%), on both sides of the aisle. How often do we hear these government sponsored health care beneficiaries complaining? Not much... just 16 out of all the GOP congressional lawmakers opted out in early 2011.. was this for PR purposes, and because they could afford to?

Lawmakers in Congress enjoy taxpayer/government sponsored health care (in the FEHB, the government pays for 66%), on both sides of the aisle. How often do we hear these government sponsored health care beneficiaries complaining? Not much... just 16 out of all the GOP congressional lawmakers opted out in early 2011.. was this for PR purposes, and because they could afford to?

Incidentally, former VP Cheney's recent heart transplant operation was paid for by the the taxpayer, under the same program that Obama is entitled to...

Whatever....

You obviously don't understand conservative thinking. They pay much more in taxes than most people therefore they are merely recuperating some of what has already been stolen from them, effectively therefore making things fairer.

You obviously don't understand conservative thinking. They pay much more in taxes than most people therefore they are merely recuperating some of what has already been stolen from them, effectively therefore making things fairer.

There is some truth to that, actually. The issue is that those who pay the bills don't really get many of the benefits.